Summary: Harry Kim is having a little trouble sleeping and a surprising source helps him.
Harry looked in the mirror. He could already see the dark circles that would be under his eyes in the morning. He shrugged and sat on the bed. It was 0220 hours and he had an early shift on the bridge. He had finished all of his "paper" work and had polished off an hour in the holodeck exercising. By all means, Harry was tired and ready for a night of sleep.
Only one problem…he couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, they would pop right open again. Harry had tried counting everything he could think of: Denebian slime devils, Klingon targs, and the universal favorite, Risan sex sheep. Nothing had worked and Harry had a sneaking suspicion he knew why.
His love life was nonexistent and, as Tom said, he always fell for the wrong women. The unattainable was the collective name for the women he had fallen for while he was Voyager.
And of course, there was Libby. At the beginning of their separation, he would think that if he hadn't been torn away from her, they would have been happy together for a good long time. Now, Harry wasn't so sure. He had been younger, both in mind and body, when he fell in love with Libby. But he didn't spend much time dwelling on it. He knew Libby would want him to be happy.
He was happy sometimes, but it didn't last for very long. When Seven started looking and acting human, every man and a few of the women on the ship drooled over her, including Harry. He thought he might have actually had a chance with Seven. But when she chose no one, his hopes (except for a tiny flicker) were dashed. Darran Tal was yet another woman he had given his heart to and she had left his life with his heart dying. His track record was awful and, in the words of Tom, his little black book was a little thin these days.
In the middle of playing a slow song on his clarinet, Harry decided to distract himself by going down to the mess hall. Maybe what he needed was a change of scenery. He had to admit that the mess hall was kind of boring and at this time of night, it should be positively dead. These conditions, Harry thought, could be just the trick to changing his mind to sleep mode.
Harry arrived at his destination to find what he expected; empty with the exception of a few night owls. But there was one person he was surprised at being there.
Kathryn Janeway was sitting with her back to both doors, staring out at the stars with a cup of something (coffee?) between her hands. Harry debated a few seconds on whether or not to go over to her. But curiosity and compassion won out against doubts he had about breaking any sort of protocol.
He walked over quietly and touched her on the shoulder.
"Captain, I didn't expect to find you in here at this hour."
Kathryn turned her head slowly and looked at him curiously.
"I could say the same thing, Harry. Have a seat."
She gestured to the chair across from her and Harry sank into the seat.
They looked at each other and spoke at the same time.
"So, what are you doing in here at this time of night?"
Harry blushed slightly and Kathryn waved it off.
"We're both probably tired. It's no big deal."
"I'm tired, but I can't sleep," Harry said ruefully.
Kathryn was a little concerned. Harry had an early shift in the morning. She reached over and placed her hand on top of his.
"Have you gone to sickbay for a sedative?"
Harry shook his head.
"Somehow, I don't think a sedative will clear my head."
Kathryn chose her next words carefully. It was late at night, but she was the captain non-stop.
"What's wrong? Is something troubling you?"
Harry shrugged and looked into Kathryn's eyes. He noticed they were a beautiful blue.
"Can I speak frankly, Captain? I think Tom would only laugh at me."
Kathryn nodded and Harry began telling her of his troubles for that night. He left out a few racy details and only mentioned Darran momentarily. He sensed that she was still a little ticked off about him breaking protocol that time.
Throughout the whole story, Kathryn listened and kept her eyes on Harry. The hand she had placed on his didn't move and Harry wasn't eager for her to remove it. He noticed her attentiveness and smiled. When he was done, Kathryn sat back in her chair and moved her hand to rest on top of the table.
"No wonder you can't sleep. But you're not the only one in the lonely hearts boat."
Harry cocked his head.
"Am I sensing some regret, Captain? Is that why you're awake in the middle of the night?"
Kathryn bowed her head slightly.
"Maybe not regret, but a touch of loneliness has set in. I don't have any particular story to tell right now, but sufficit to say, I don't have any one special on board. I don't know why I'm telling you this, but a good ear comes in many forms."
Harry almost blushed again.
"Thank you for telling me. I'm not sure what I can do, but I'm good for listening."
Kathryn smiled wistfully.
"You're right, you are"
She stood up and stretched. Harry watched the smooth curves of her muscular body and saw her shiny hair bounce. He stood up and, feeling slightly goofy, offered the captain his arm.
"Both of us should really get some sleep. Your quarters are closer than mine. May I walk you there?"
Kathryn took his arm and they walked out of the mess hall. When they reached her quarters, she let go and opened the doors. She stepped inside, but then turned back.
"Thank you for listening, Harry. Maybe we can have dinner sometime. I'm sure there are other stories to be told."
She leaned forward and kissed Harry gently on the cheek and then walked into her quarters.
Harry touched his cheek, smiled broadly, and started to walk toward his quarters.
At 0300 hours, Harry's eyes closed for the next four hours. Of course, his mind was racing. Talking his problems out with someone had really helped. Now, the only problem he had was wondering whether Captain Janeway would date a lowly ensign.